Since there have been several thread lately regarding Tom's position in the family, here's another scene to ponder. For being in an important position in the family (not yet consigliere) Tom makes a less than savvy statement regarding Carlo's future in the family.

TOM

......Now your new son-in-law; give him something important?

VITO CORLEONE

Never. Give him a living, but never discuss the Family business with him. What else?

BTW, I never took the "give him something important" as a question. To me it sounded more like a statement that he wanted confirmed. Regardless, for an up-and-comer in the family, Tom is not in synch with the Don's position. I always thought this dialogue did not have continuity with the character or the situation. For being such a smart guy, why would he ask such a dumb question?

Why do they have to give him a position in the first place? Shouldn't he have had some kind of a job already?

I agree completely: it was a statement that he wanted confirmed. Vito had the final word on what position his new son in law would occupy in the family, so Tom had to go through the motions of "asking." But he knew as well as Vito that Carlo was a gold-digger. So, far from asking a dumb question, Tom, I believe, was perfectly in synch with his Don.

I don't agree TB about Tom knowing that Carlo was a gold-digger. Carlo is, in effect, marrying into a royal family. But, there's nothing to indicate that Carlo's future will involve infidelity, domestic violence, and eventually betrayal. As the novel points out, his use of a gun when he was younger was an indescetion that Vito and Tom were aware of. Given that he was Italian and half-Sicilian, came to the family through Sonny, and certainly knew who the Corleones were, there is some basis to believe that his employment in the family business was possible. Obviously, Vito's insight led him to be cautious with Carlo.

The part I always had a problem with in the scene is when Vito tells Tom to have Freddie drive the big car to see Genco - Freddie was obviously way to drunk to drive anywhere that day

(Nevermind, i think i figured it out - in the book Fredo isn't said to be drunk and in the movie there is no mention of Fredo actually driving the car)